The Z10 ED, revealed by Autocar in January, is being turned into an £80k Audi R8 rival, and insiders suggest that the front-engined, rear-drive machine could make production.

It features BMW’s Efficient Dynamics, including stop-start and active aerodynamics, and will eventually adopt systems such as a heat collector that turns waste energy in the exhaust gases into electricity.

However, BMW’s new group design director Adrian van Hooydonk told Autocar that the Z10 will need to deliver an engaging drive as well as low CO2 emissions. “It would be good for BMW and show what we are capable of,” said van Hooydonk. “The Z10 is the answer to the very interesting question ‘what if we designed a car for the future?’ The key to the BMW brand is that we must deliver an exciting dynamic experience in the future. That is the cornerstone of BMW, definitely.”

Van Hooydonk also warned that the current economic climate may make it more difficult to launch the ED with a supercar’s body styling. “I’m not sure it’s number one to carve out some territory in the supercar market,” he said.

The lightweight Z10 ED is being worked on at the Technik think-tank in Munich, the birthplace of many significant BMW concepts.